At the Ekana Cricket Stadium, Gujarat Titans struggled to perform as Lucknow Super Giants put up a disciplined front, resulting in the Titans ending up with a subpar total of 135 runs while batting first on a slow and dry pitch.
Things took a turn for the worse when KL Rahul and Kyle Mayers dominated the second innings, taking the score to 53/0 by the end of the powerplay, thanks in part to a 16-run over against Rashid Khan, who is considered one of the best T20 spinners in the world.
However, Hardik Pandya, the skipper, put his trust in Rashid and gave him the ball for the seventh over, giving him a chance to redeem himself, which turned out to be a wise decision. Although Rashid started with a poor delivery, Mayers could only manage a single on the next ball after a googly, which led to the left-hander being handed the strike again.
Mayers was well-set on 24 off 18 balls and looked poised for another match-winning performance, but Rashid had different plans. He bowled a slightly full ball on off-stump, inducing the southpaw to attempt a massive heave in anticipation of a wrong’un.
However, the leg-spinner had outsmarted him with a clever delivery, and the ball crashed into Mayers’ stumps between his bat and pad. The 24-year-old Rashid was visibly pumped up, as evidenced by his intense stare at Mayers as he walked back to the pavilion. He then pointed at his chest to let the Lucknow batters and the crowd know who the top player was.